


Finding Middle Ground

by Lokislittlearmy



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reverse Crush, F/M, Getting to Know Each Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Identity, Trans Adrien Agreste, Trans Male Character, Unhelpful Plagg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-05 05:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12183966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokislittlearmy/pseuds/Lokislittlearmy
Summary: Adrien and Felix don't talk past a nod in the halls. They've never had reason to. They come from different backgrounds, different households, and they've got radically different personalities. That is, until a mysterious black box with two rings comes into their lives. They don't want to stick together, but they both have to work as Chat Noir alongside Ladybug.Felix just wants peace and quiet, and Adrien isn't one for that. Still, Felix wants Marinette to stop crushing on him. And with Adrien's crush on Marinette, he might have an idea.(On hiatus; will resume at the end of December 2017!)





	1. Good Deeds

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Okay, I'm going to get a good night's sleep tonight!  
> My brain: Consider this AU-  
> Me, at 12:30 AM: :^)

Felix bit his pens. Not hard enough to leave indentations in the cheap plastic, but he frequently left the writing end dangling from his mouth listening to the teacher drone. He narrowed his eyes at the board and twisted his lips so that the end tipped up. 

The girl across the aisle scribbled lazy doodles into the margins of her notebook. She paused in the middle of one narrow eye to jot down something about adverbs. Then she continued. She glanced over to Felix, pursing her lips. At least Marinette hadn’t started drawing his lips. She scribbled in a vague idea before the pen could move again, then continued on with the details.

Adrien took diligent notes, scribbling furiously. When the teacher paused, he took the moment to doodle a girl with shaded pigtails. The drawing seemed unrecognizable, just a scribble. The face smiled brightly, a flustered blush covering her cheeks. He didn’t need to glance at Marinette.

The bell rang in the middle of the teacher’s sentence. Felix plucked the pen from his lips and capped it. He was halfway gone before anybody else had even started to pack up. Adrien watched Marinette’s eyes follow the boy out in something not quite like disappointment, but not shocked in the slightest. Their eyes met for just a second before Adrien glanced away. 

Marinette left first, Adrien not far behind. She bounced at the crosswalk, clearly impatient in where she needed to go. A car came speeding far too quickly for the crosswalk just as an older man began crossing. Marinette could see the scene set out before her eyes. She darted out into the street and grabbed the man to pull him away just in time. Maybe a little too hard. She crashed to the ground, careful not to drag the man with her. Her books spilled out of her backpack. The man offered to help, but she swore that it was okay. She gathered the books in her arms and took off, darting into her parents' bakery.

Adrien stood on the steps, wondering where he could go. His dad never really gave him permission to go anywhere. But with Fencing Club canceled, he could go anywhere as long he was back in two hours. So he jogged down the stairs and resisted the urge to break into a full run down the street. The arcade was only a block away, and he had a couple euros in his pocket. 

He went straight to the pinball machine in the corner and put a coin in. The ages-old LED lit up behind the glass as it started. The ball shot out into the area in front of him. He knocked it around, never letting his sight stray. He could probably go on like this for the entire two hours. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a little girl plug coin after coin into the claw machine. She kept falling short every time. After enough tries, she walked away with a dejected sigh. Adrien let the ball fall past the flippers. He walked over to the claw machine. Two coins, and the machine lit up again. 

Some of the stuffed animals had been wiggled loose. The blue the little girl had been going for might be a little harder to get, but it wasn’t stuffed in. He could probably grab it by the head. He spent twenty of the thirty seconds allowed centering around the head. He leaned one way and the other making sure it was in position before pressing the button. At twenty-eight seconds, he pressed the button.

He held his breath as the claw lowered and clasped around the head. It came up and jiggled a little, but the unicorn stayed perfectly closed in. Regardless, he didn’t breathe again until the unicorn dropped into the hole. He let out a sigh of relief and bent down to grab the unicorn. A quick scan of the place found the little girl sitting at a table as if waiting for someone.

He walked over calmly and squatted down next to the table, grabbing her attention. Her brown eyes went wide with surprise and confusion. He held out the stuffed animal. “I think I saw you trying for this,” he said. Her entire face lit up with a grin, messy ponytails bouncing with her.

She grabbed the unicorn from him, clutching it close. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squealed. 

Adrien gave a little laugh as he stood and walked away. He checked his watch. He should probably get back with ample time. Before he could get to the doors, though, a light hand on his shoulder stopped him. He spun but froze as soon as he saw the face of the person. A blush crept up his face. 

Marinette smiled back at him. “I wanted to thank you for winning that toy for Manon. She pointed you out as soon as I got back to the table.” She looked back at where Manon played happily with the toy, then met Adrien’s eyes again. “We were about to have some pizza, if you’d like to join us.”

Oh, he wanted to. He so wanted to. He checked his watch again. He really had to get back. He offered Marinette an anxious smile. “I need to get back before my dad realizes Fencing was canceled. But maybe some other time?” 

She nodded. “Yeah, some other time. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

He waved before jetting off. He shouldn’t be running down the street. By the time he got there, he felt winded. Still, he managed to get into the school long before the long limousine pulled in front of the stairs. He took a few deep breaths and gathered his things.

He slid into the back seat next to Nathalie. She didn’t say anything until after the car started rolling away. “I know fencing was canceled,” she said. Adrien froze and turned to her, eyes wide with fear. “But I’ll say nothing, provided you promise you weren’t off doing anything you shouldn’t be.”

“I promise,” Adrien said. Really, he wasn’t off doing drugs or anything. Just down at the arcade. It was perfectly safe, even if his dad didn’t want him out of the confines of the house.

The limo passed the park on the way home. Lounging against a tree, Felix sat with a book in his lap. His eyes tilted up to the car, and Adrien could swear their eyes met past the tinted windows. The glance went back to the book as quickly as Adrien had noticed it.

Felix glanced up again once he was sure Adrien couldn’t see him. If he was going home, that meant it was 5:30. His mother would have his head if he wasn’t back by dinner, so he closed his book and tucked it neatly into his bag.

The walk to his apartment felt shorter each day. On this day, he passed one person. He nodded to the old man walking past. At the clatter of the stick on pavement, he spun around. He rushed to the man's side to help him up and hand him his cane. "Are you alright, sir?"

"Yes, I'm okay," the man said. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Felix replied. He even gave the man a small smile. The alarm of his watch beeped, and his eyes went wide. Damn, he should be home by now to help with dinner. The man waved him off to go, and Felix jetted in the direction of his home.

He didn’t bother checking if the third story walk-up was locked. He closed and locked the door behind him. The smell of cinnamon swirled around him, familiar and welcoming. His mother hummed at the counter, blonde locks falling over her shoulder as she cut vegetables. 

He passed into his bedroom and got changed into more casual clothes than a vest and button up. His mother passed a cutting board, knife, and vegetables to him without a word. The radio played lowly in the background. Felix let himself settle into the quiet routine. He told his mother not to worry, that he would finish dinner. She kissed him on the forehead and thanked him.

At the table, the two let silence pass for a while. The music in the background filled the air between them with ease. Ultimately, as always, Felix’s mother was the first to speak. And it was always the same words. “How was school? Anything unusual?”

Felix shrugged and swallowed what was in his mouth. “Nothing out of the usual. I started the book you recommended after school.”

She smiled, head tilting a little. “Do you like it?”

“I do. The main character is very...complex.” He took another bite. That was an appropriate word.

“He is. It’s as if there are two sides to him.”

Felix pursed his lips to hide a smile at the edge of them. “Mom, you’re doing it again.”

She shook her head with a shrug. She was trying to play innocent, and it showed well. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He shook his head as well, going back to his dinner.

Yes, it all felt routine. He enjoyed it all, even if his main sources of energy remained coffee and spite. His life felt balanced. He didn’t need anything throwing off that balance. No, nothing at all.


	2. Claws Out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Adrien meet a new friend in their rush to hide from a certain someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did it take me so long to finish this oh my g o d

There was a note next to the fresh coffee pot when Felix finally rolled out of bed the next morning. It told him to be good and get to school on time. He gave it a tired smile as usual. 

Two cream, one sugar. He sipped at the cup idly as he got ready, careful not to spill a drop on his sweater. He took his time straightening his lion mane and tucking it tight against the nape of his neck. It was getting rather long. He’d have to cut it this weekend, or ask his mother to.

He set out earlier than usual, coffee drained and bag packed. He still yawned as he set foot on the concrete. He almost regretted the sweater. It wasn’t quite cold enough for it. His mother would have told him that. 

Marinette came out of the glass doors of the bakery just as Felix passed. Also routine. How long did she usually wait, then? Felix always passed at 7:34 anyway, so why would she be ready to go like that at 7:29? 

She kept strangely quiet. Any other day, she would talk his ear off about some topic she thought he was interested in. She would usually get it spot on. Today, she kept her eyes to the ground and lips shut tight. Felix cast glances to her. Was this a new tactic or something? Was she trying something new?

Adrien’s car pulled up just as Felix and Marinette reached the stairs. He gave Marinette a fleeting, blushing glance and closed the door. Why couldn't they just crush on each other?

Adrien pulled out his notebook and started his normal routine of writing and doodling and glancing at Marinette. She seemed so anxious. Usually, she would have her books out and ready to go. Instead, she stared at her desk, worrying at her lip. Did something happen? Did Felix say something to her?

If he did, he didn’t seem particularly concerned. He read the book placed over his open notebook, head against one hand. 

Marinette jumped to action as class started, but didn’t take any notes. Even Felix noticed. She wasn’t even trying to sketch him like she usually did. His mind jumped to the blonde girl in front of him. Maybe she had a confrontation with Chloe. That seemed possible. He didn’t want to say anything. After all, he shouldn’t stick his nose into others’ business. However, his mother would tell him to at least be kind.

The bell rang, and Marinette’s pages remained blank. Felix sighed and braced himself for whatever she was about to react with. “Marinette?”

To his surprise, she didn’t flail or jump to the ceiling. Her eyes went wide, a blush spreading across her face. He folded his notebook so that just the day’s pages showed. “I noticed that your pages were blank as I was packing up. I can photocopy my notes if you want.”

She should jump at the chance. Experience told him that. He could feel Adrien’s eyes piercing holes into the back of his skull. She didn’t immediately react. “O-oh. Um.” Her hand came up to fidget with her earring. Since when did she wear earrings? If he asked Adrien, who would certainly know, would that be considered too intrusive? “Yes, please. I kind of spaced out today, didn’t I?” Even her nervous laugh at the end seemed subdued.

Felix blinked. “Okay. I can go to the library and give you the photocopies during next period, if you’d like.”

Marinette nodded, blush growing. She still worried at her lip. “That would be nice.”

He was the one to leave first, heading to the library as promised. Adrien tailed soon after. He wandered over to his locker to switch out his books. He should have offered his notes, but Felix’s were nicer anyway. They were more coherent.

On his way back, he heard her voice. And yes, he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she sounded so concerned. He leaned outside the door, listening to her voice. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. No response came. Maybe she was on the phone. “I know, I know. But even he noticed something was weird about me, and I don’t think he knows I exist.”

“What are you doing?” Felix’s voice came from behind him. Adrien whirled around, eyes wide and body tense. Felix narrowed his eyes and let them dart to the door. “I never pinned you for an eavesdropper. But I guess you’d do that for the Dupain-Cheng girl, right?”

Adrien scowled. “What? No. Be a little quieter.” His expression shifted to one of genuine worry as he looked to the door. “I’m just concerned about her.” 

“She’ll probably be fine,” Felix replied, lowering his voice as requested. He looked to the photocopies in his hands and back to Adrien. “If you’re looking for an excuse to talk to her, I have the notes I offered.”

“It won’t look suspicious that I have the notes, even though we rarely talk?”

“Well, it will.” Felix shrugged. “It was just a suggestion.” He looked to the door and came a little closer, tilting his head to listen.

Adrien blinked. “I thought you were just scolding me for eavesdropping.” 

“Shut up.”

Through the door, Marinette sighed. “Yes, I know I have to. But Tikki, are you sure I’m the one for this? I mean, you’ve seen how unlucky I am.” A pause. “No way. I don’t see that changing any time soon.” Another pause. “Okay. I can do this. I can be calm.”

Adrien started pushing Felix away. Not hard enough to make him stumble, but enough to send a message. Marinette would be coming out soon, and they had to move. Felix nearly tripped over his own feet in his hurry to get away, Adrien right on his heels. The two stumbled around a corner and into an empty classroom.

The room was obviously in use, but likely had no class this period. Felix took a breath and relaxed his grip on the notes. He should smooth out the wrinkles. He looked to Adrien, who had slumped against the door. “I think we’re fine, you know. I know you both have a tendency to overreact around your crushes, but maybe if you broke out of that habit, you’d be able to think rationally.”

Adrien tucked his knees to his chest. “I think rationally around her. I just can’t act rationally.”

“Yes, and what a difference it makes.” Felix rolled his eyes. His gaze settled on a black and red box set atop one of the benches. Specifically, the second bench back in the center, where Felix and Adrien had been assigned. “Hm, somebody left something.”

Adrien stood and bypassed him on the way to go look at it. Felix scowled. “Did your mother never teach you not to touch things that aren’t yours?”

“Nope,” Adrien replied without looking back. “She left when I was a kid.” He picked up the box and looked on the bottom. “It doesn’t have a name on the outside of it.” He went to open it.

Felix put his hand out. “Wait. What if it’s special to somebody? We could be intruding on their privacy.” The pit in his stomach didn’t quite relate to social guilt. However, something about the situation screamed a warning in his brain. He stepped to the step below Adrien.

“We’re just looking to see if we can find the owner. It’s not like we’re reading a diary. And if there’s nobody’s name on it and it looks precious, we’ll give it to a teacher.” He paused and stepped to the step Felix was on. He held the box out to Felix, clasp toward him. “And besides, I’m kind of curious.”

Felix looked between Adrien and the box. He had to admit, he was curious as well. It would probably just be a bracelet or something. Maybe it belonged to Chloe. That would explain the intricate design around the edges. He took a deep breath and unclasped it. With just one finger, he opened it.

Light engulfed the room, making both of the boys shield their eyes. The box clattered to the ground, two rings falling from it. When Felix and Adrien took their arms away, they could each see a little black creature centered between them. It opened its eyes, one ear twitching as it looked between them in confusion. “Either of you have any cheese?”

Adrien made a high noise from the back of his throat like a trapped scream. Felix stared. He couldn’t take his eyes away. He was the one to work up the words first. “What the fuck are you?”

The thing turned its head to Felix, the body drifting lazily to follow. “I’m Plagg, the kwami of destruction. Once you put those rings on, I’ll give each of you magical superhero powers. But only one at a time. I may be a magic immortal kwami, but I’m not that magical.”

Adrien finally breathed, trying to regain his mentality. “Back up. What’s a kwami?”

“I give you the power to destroy things, but I assume that Fu chose you two because he trusted you to only destroy bad things.” Plagg looked down to the box and the rings on the floor. “So, are you going to take the powers or what?”

Felix looked down to the rings and, after a moment of debate, picked one up. It was thinner than the other one, and more decorative. It looked...cursed in a way. He narrowed his eyes at it. “Why do I get a bad feeling about this?”

“Don’t worry about it, kid. One of you has to have that ring, and it doesn’t really matter which.”

Adrien bent down and picked up the other one. It was heavier, but more plain. It looked as if it would fit more easily with his aesthetic. He went to ask Felix which he would prefer, but Felix had already slipped the black cat onto his finger. The eyes seemed to glow red, but they couldn’t really, right? That was implausible.

Then again, so was a cat-bug thing floating between them whining about cheese under his breath. But here they were.

He slipped the silver ring onto his finger. He kind of expected something to happen, but nothing changed. He looked at Plagg. “So...what now?” 

Plagg put a paw up. “Claws out.”

Felix tilted his head. “Claws out?” He was about to ask for further detail, but instead found himself engulfed in light. He felt his clothes replaced with something more form fitting, covering him from neck to toe. There was a weight around his eyes and his hair shifted as if he’d just woken up. When he opened his eyes again, he could swear a little color in the world had been lost. He ran his tongue over his canines, which felt sharper and longer. He looked down at the black claws at the tips of his gloved fingers. He squinted at the rest of the suit.

It didn’t even seem practical. A belt around his waist only existed for the length at the back, like a long tail. It even swished idly like a curious cat’s. The cat ears on his head twitched, and he felt it like an extension of himself. He looked at Adrien. “Is this...” He looked back down at the suit. “Is this a fursuit?”

Adrien pursed his lips, looking over the suit. “So, Felix, I didn’t know you were a furry.” He tried to hide the spreading grin, but failed.

Felix shot him a glare. “And I didn’t know you were dying.”

“I’m not,” Adrien replied, a tinge of confusion dripping into his features.

“Call me a furry again and you will be.”

Adrien broke down in a fit of giggles. He slumped to the floor. Felix crossed his arms, foot tapping as he glared at the boy. Once Adrien stopped laughing, Felix sighed. “Okay, so how do I get back?” He paused. “To transform, I said Claws Out, so maybe it would be Claws In?”

A flash of light later, he was back to his old self. He looked down at himself, smoothing his bare hands over the fake silk vest. “Good.”

Plagg nodded. “And no, it’s not a fursuit. Fursuits cover you entirely. It’s a costume.” He looked at Adrien. “Alright, kid. What about you?”

Adrien took a deep breath. “Okay. Claws out!”

His transformation seemed much more flowing. He looked confident coming out of it. Already, the two could pinpoint differences in the costumes. Adrien’s had a baton, but a shorter tail that seemed to do nothing. It made him look younger, somehow. It didn’t have so many sharp edges. Adrien hummed in interest, smoothing his hands over his neckline. “Huh, that’s weird.”

“Yeah, I would think that the costume is the same.” Felix pursed his lips. Adrien seemed to flush beneath his own mask as he tried to agree. Felix tilted his head. “What? Did you notice something different?”

Adrien grimaced. He hesitated to reply, but Felix waited patiently. “Okay. You can’t tell a single soul what I’m about to tell you. Can you promise me that?” He waited for Felix to nod solemnly. Adrien took a deep breath. Maybe he could be subtle about this, and he would understand. “I still have my binder on under this.”

Nope. Felix looked even more confused than before. “Your...binder?” He was absolutely thinking of the thing in his backpack that held papers.

A groan escaped Adrien’s lips. “Not like the school supply. It binds your chest to make it look flatter.” He waited for Felix to understand, but the lightbulb didn’t click on. “For example, if you’re transgender.”

There’s the lightbulb. Felix let out a soft, “oh.” 

“Yeah.” Adrien sighed. “Claws in.” He waited for Plagg to reappear between them before shoving his hand in his pockets and looking away. “I can’t run around with it on.”

Felix pursed his lips in thought. “I guess we can figure something else out, then.”

Plagg nodded. “I’m not sure what I can do, but if you take your binder off before transforming, the costume can be modified to help you out.” He thought for a moment. “Your costumes already look different anyway. They’ll figure out there are two of you in no time.”

Felix held back a laugh. “If all else fails, a literal fursuit would do the trick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm definitely going to see this through. I'm going to put up a tentative schedule of every Friday (excepting this week ;;), but be warned: I'm a college student, and this is kicking my ass.  
> I miss the days of being able to write two chapters a week. But alas, bigger and better things. Anyway, I'm going to try my best to stick to every Friday.  
> I'll post updates and screaming to my tumblr, littlelionkai , under the tag "finding middle ground". You can also reach me there if you have any requests or questions!


	3. Reacquainted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug meets Chat Noir for the first time, and Felix finds himself meeting someone very familiar.

Adrien and Felix started glancing at each other during class. They couldn’t help it. They had hardly ever talked before, and now they were supposed to work together as superheros. The entire idea stressed Felix out. He didn’t want to be in the spotlight like that. What if something happened to him, his identity still concealed? His mother would worry to death.

Worse, what if everybody found them out? Nobody particularly liked him, save for Marinette. And he supposed Adrien, to an extent. He’d be cast away and likely drag Adrien down with him. 

He handed Marinette the notes in silence, receiving only a quiet thanks in response. She still seemed worried. She hardly looked at him, her head stuck in the clouds. Or just her thoughts. Felix found himself almost concerned for the girl.

Almost.

Felix stood up first when class let out. He looked to Adrien. “Would you like to come to my house to work on our schoolwork?” The sentence had an underlying hint to it. 

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, I don’t have anything after school. Which is kind of a rarity.” He let out a nervous laugh and followed Felix out.

The walk there stayed silent for the most part. Felix knew Adrien wouldn’t have anything, because he waited for a different car to pass on Wednesdays before going home. His mother should already be home, though.

He didn’t bother checking if the door was locked. He pushed right in. His mother looked up from her laptop and stood from the couch. “Felix? Why are you home so early?”

“I wanted to get a head start on homework with a friend.” He waved Adrien in and shut the door behind him. “Mom, this is Adrien.”

His mother walked over. “Oh, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Felix’s mother. Sorry the house is a little cluttered.”

Adrien shook his head. “It looks wonderful in here, and smells so nice. Is that cinnamon?”

“Yes, it is! Just a wax burner, but it’s a nice scent, isn’t it?”

They’d be at this for an hour. Felix didn’t think this through at all. He underestimated how polite both of them could be. He felt a little nudge from his pocket and glanced down to see Plagg looking up, appearing bored out of his mind. He sighed as quietly as he could in agreement.

Felix’s mother still noticed. “Well, why don’t you two get working? I’m happy to meet you, Adrien.”

“Nice to meet you as well,” Adrien replied as Felix pulled him away. He looked around Felix’s room in curiosity. Most of the room felt meticulous, hardly lived in aside from the walls. Photographs from throughout Felix’s life covered large sections, some where he was happy and some where he wasn’t. Plagg flew out of the bag as soon as the door closed, whining in the background. One photo caught Adrien’s eye in particular.

A little boy with messy blonde hair stuck his tongue out at the camera, eyes squeezed shut. A pointed hat and a birthday cake with the candles still lit said that he was turning two. On the right stood his mother, green eyes trying to keep open through the flash of the bulb as she grinned. Her arm had kept the boy in place for the picture. On the boy’s other side stood his father, platinum hair just as messy despite the suit he wore, as if he’d been running around offscreen.

Adrien let out a little laugh. “You know, your dad kinda looks like mine.”

Felix walked over to look at the picture. “He does?”

“Yeah. But my dad keeps everything perfect. He can’t stand a hair out of place.” He left out what that meant for him, but Felix could imagine.

Plagg floated between them. “As sweet as this is, you need to figure out who’s going to meet Ladybug first. She knows that there are two of you, but you can’t both go. You’re supposed to meet her at five.”

Felix checked his watch and swore, face pulling into a grimace. “We have five minutes. Do you want to go?”

Adrien grimaced and shook his head. “You should go. Just tell me what you guys say, okay?”

They had little time. Felix sighed. “Alright. Plagg, claws out!” The transformation this time felt a little smoother, a little easier. He looked down at himself once more, and then at Adrien. “Are you sure you want to stay? What are you going to say if my mom comes looking for me?”

“I can say you’re in the bathroom or something. It’ll be okay. Go have fun, and tell me all about our new partner.” 

Felix sighed again. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.” Felix perched in his windowsill and saluted to Adrien before hopping away. He scrambled to the top of the apartment building and looked out. “Where are you, Ladybug?” he muttered to himself, hoping to see a glimpse of movement. He could feel the ears atop his head twitch before a voice came through.

“Hopefully this’ll work,” a familiar voice said. It sounded like a phone line. Perhaps that’s what it was. “I’m waiting at the top of the Eiffel Tower whenever you’re ready.”

Chat Noir started to leap across the rooftops. Eiffel Tower. How inconspicuous. He reached it quickly enough, though, mind racing. That voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. He stood, wondering how he would get to the Eiffel Tower without causing a scene. How did she do it? He circled to one of the foundations and scrambled up from the inside, muttering the entire time about someone seeing him.

He hardly felt winded when he got to the top. The girl atop the platform spun around in surprise, and-oh. That’s why she sounded so familiar. This was obviously Marinette. There was no way around it. Felix took a step back. Did she recognize him, too?

“You must be my partner, Chat Noir. Or one of them, I guess. I’m Ladybug.” She didn’t recognize him. Either this costume was good, or she was just that oblivious.

Chat Noir blinked and stepped forward. “Yes, that’s me. I assume you’ll meet the other Chat soon enough.” Even with his voice, she showed no recognition. She was really that oblivious. She took his outstretched hand without hesitation. “So, how long have you been...” He gestured to her.

“Been Ladybug?” She clarified. Chat nodded. “Like, a day and a half. I just got home one day and the box was on my desk. I thought my parents had left something for me.” She laughed. “What about you?”

Felix stiffened a bit. “Uh, my partner and I found it in a classroom. It was a lucky find, I guess.” He shrugged, trying to offer a smile. She gave a warm smile in response.

God, it felt weird to see her like this. No pretense, no stuttering and stammering and tripping over herself. She looked confident for once, happy to be there, content to stand there waiting for something else to come up in conversation. Her anxiety had transformed into curiosity.

A mask could do wonders. Adrien would fall in love with her all over again. If Felix didn’t know better, he’d think she was wonderful as well. He wondered idly if Adrien would recognize her as they talked over formalities.

As the sun began to set, they said farewell and parted ways. Felix swung into his room, transforming as he landed. Adrien looked up from his textbook. “Hey, how was it? Was she nice?”

Felix went to answer, but Plagg cut him off. “It’s time to discuss food. I would love cheese.”

“I have a wheel of Brie in the fridge.”

Plagg thought for a moment. “Yeah, that’ll do.”

Felix ran out, avoiding his mother on the couch, and came back with the cheese. “I’ll have to explain where that went, but uh. It’s fine.” He sat on the bed. He shouldn’t talk about Ladybug’s identity, even if he was bursting at the seams. “She’s great. I think you’ll really like her.”

“That’s awesome, I’m way less anxious honestly.” Adrien smiled. “I’m glad you went. I would’ve been too much of a nervous wreck to function.” He looked down at his watch. His face paled. “Oh, I have to get home! Father’s going to kill me.” He shoved his book in his bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Plagg floated up, the wheel of cheese already gone. “I’ll come with you. Felix has probably had enough of me already.”

Adrien nodded. “Alright.” He looked at Felix. “Thanks for having me over. Your mom seems really sweet.”

“Very sweet,” Felix agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. I've still gotta get back in the swing of a schedule.   
> If anybody's here that read Dusk to Dawn, I think I mentioned a sequel after season two. And that's coming after this is finished *and* after season two finishes. It's sort of become its own little universe by the end but that's fine.  
> Anyway, see you next Friday!
> 
> Comments? Questions? My tumblr is littlelionkai .


	4. Formalities Aside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and the other Chat Noir finally meet.

_Fel-ine-ix: I forgot to tell you that you’ll be meeting Ladybug tonight at 8:30. She said she’d tell you where._

_Nya-drien: ahhh i’ll try to sneak out_

Adrien locked his phone and threw it on the bed. He hadn’t transformed since that first time, and he didn’t know what it would look like modified. “So,” he said to Plagg as he struggled with his binder, “Why didn’t it get rid of my binder? It got rid of everything else. It even poofed Felix’s hair out.”

“The Miraculous is designed to keep whatever the holder needs as an aid.” Plagg rolled over to look at Adrien upside down from the desk. “Hearing aids, prosthetic limbs, things like that.”

“I don’t think binders count as disability aids.”

“Sure, they do.” Plagg paused as if for dramatic effect. “Mental aid. You can’t go off fighting crime if the idea of going outside makes you anxious.”

Adrien threw his binder onto his bed. “I mean, I guess.” He slipped his t-shirt back on. “Claws out!”

He hesitated to look in the mirror after his transformation. But he did, and he didn’t hate it. The suit had changed minimally, the side seams in more of a v-shape at the front. It didn’t flatten him out quite as much as his binder, but it did a good job. It didn’t feel constricting. He could pass with this.

With a glance to his bedroom door and a prayer that nobody would need him, he jumped away. Once he’d gotten a little distance between him and his house, he looked around. How was she supposed to tell him where, exactly? It had to be almost 8:30 now.

A beeping came from his baton. He slipped it from his belt and pressed the little pawprint. Half of it slid up to reveal a screen, ant a timer began counting up. He pressed it to his ear. “Uh, hello?”

“Hey! It’s Ladybug. I’m guessing the other Chat Noir gave you the message.” Her voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Adrien couldn’t find a place for it. It was bright and cheerful, and he felt like the name was on the tip of his tongue.

“Yeah, he did.” Adrien turned slowly. “So where are we meeting?”

“Do you know where College Francois-Dupont is? We can meet on the rooftop there.”

“I’ll be there in two minutes.” Adrien slid his baton away and took off for the school. Why did she choose there? Felix hadn’t said where they met. In fact, Felix hardly said anything about their meeting. It put Adrien on edge.

He arrived first, Ladybug swinging onto the rooftop shortly after. She landed as gracefully as she could, considering her inexperience. Chat Noir waved. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sure dealing with two of us is exhausting.”

Ladybug shrugged. “There’s probably a reason there are two of you. Anyway, I’m Ladybug, your partner in justice.”

Chat Noir laughed. “A pleasure to meet you.” She looked far too familiar. It scratched at his mind and hung on the tip of his tongue. Who could she be? “I feel like I’ve met you before, but I can’t quite figure it out.”

“I feel the same about you,” she replied. “We’ve probably passed on the street. My parents run a business and I help out, so maybe I’ve seen you there.” It came out more as a question, her shoulders shrugging up. “I felt like that about the other Chat Noir, though.”

Adrien didn’t know Felix well enough to find intersections in their lives. He shrugged. “Well, we probably shouldn’t reveal our identities right off the bat.”

Ladybug nodded. “Yeah.” She took a breath. “Alright, my kwami was able to tell me a little bit about our duties, but I’m still a little hazy. I’ll try to fill you in, because she said Plagg could be...”

“Whiny? A drama queen? Only to the point if you ask the right questions?”

“Flighty.” She smiled as if on the verge of laughter.

Chat Noir shrugged. “That works too. So, what are we up against?”

Ladybug’s happy expression vanished. “She said that there’s another Miraculous that’s been awakened by an evil energy. So soon, we won’t be the only ones with superpowers. If this other person really decides to use it for evil, then we’ll have someone powerful to fight.”

“Did she say what Miraculous it was?” Chat Noir sat on the edge of the building, Ladybug not far behind. “Maybe we can figure out who it is and stop them before they start.”

“She said that it’s the Butterfly Miraculous. But if this person doesn’t want to be found, I doubt we’ll find them. Paris is such a large city. It’s unlikely that the user will be anybody any of us know.”

Chat Noir crossed his legs. “So we just wait for them to show themselves?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I guess so.” She stood from the ledge. “I want to see what you’re made of, though. I didn’t get a lot of time with the other Chat Noir.” She backed away from him as he stood. “We need to practice with our powers if we want to use them, right? So let’s try it out. Just remember that we have five minutes after we do, okay?”

Chat nodded and pulled out his baton, taking up a fencing position. Ladybug detached her yo-yo from her side and swung it beside her. It made light trails as it swung, and Chat had to wonder just how fast it was going. After circling for a few seconds, Chat Noir called for his power.

Black energy swirled around his hand, curling in his palm. He looked to Ladybug, and she called for her power as well. A ball about the size of a soccer ball fell into her hands. She looked at it in confusion before passing it to Chat.

As soon as he caught it, the ball crumbled in his hands. A pile of gray dust fell to the rooftop. The two stared at it for a few moments, both frozen in shock. The first beep of their Miraculous stones snapped them out of it.

Ladybug stepped back. “Four minutes. We should...”

“Yeah,” Chat Noir agreed. “See you around,” he said, finally taking his eyes away from the pile of ash. With a salute, he leaped away.

He landed in his bedroom without breaking a sweat. Plagg reappeared, and they waited for the other to say something. “I...” Adrien paused. “I have to be careful with that power,” he mumbled.

Plagg nodded. “While Ladybug is given the power of creation, you have the power of destruction. You have me. So with Cataclysm, anything you touch is destroyed.”

Adrien took a moment to take that in. What if he slipped up? If he broke the wrong thing? What...what if he accidentally touched a person with it? He shook the thoughts away and grabbed a wheel of cheese from his mini-fridge before climbing into bed.

After a few minutes of staring up at the ceiling, he came to a realization. “Plagg?” he whispered to the darkness.

“Yeah?”

“Is Cataclysm a pun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week was Hell(tm) so sorry for not getting a chapter up. They'll also be shorter unless I can get a whole lot onto paper. Regardless, back on schedule!
> 
> Comments? Questions? My tumblr: littlelionkai.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> I thrive on attention so please comment if you liked it! Or even if you found a typo!
> 
> My tumblr is littlelionkai if you'd like to reach me there.


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